Brussels, 18/03/2015 (Agence Europe) - In Brussels on 19 and 20 March, the heads of state or government will discuss the situation in Ukraine and the future of economic sanctions against the Russian Federation.
On 18 March, the President of the European Council, Donald Tusk, held negotiations with the French President François Hollande and the German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, on a joint recommendation regarding sanctions related to the Russia-Ukraine crisis, which will be put forward to the other member states at the summit for their approval. “Mr Tusk firmly believes that the recommendation of the Three will be enough to secure the support of theTwenty-Eight”, a European source explained. According to a European diplomat, the aim of the operation is to prevent rows between the delegations. The joint recommendation aims to establish a strong link between the sanctions and the Minsk agreement: the sanctions will be in place until the agreements have been implemented in full.
However, the leaders are not expected to take a decision at this summit to prolong the economic sanctions in place, although the timetable for the implementation of the Minsk agreements runs until December 2015. The economic sanctions are in force until 1 August. “We are not going to make any decisions, it will all be for June” as regards the sanctions, a European source explained. Another source expressed greater caution, stressing that there was still no consensus between the Twenty-Eight as to exactly when the decision would be made regarding the anticipatory extension of the existing economic sanctions. France is said to be calling for June, Germany is believed to be more flexible.
In the conclusions, the leaders will stress that they have called on all parties fully and rapidly to implement the Minsk agreements and that the EU is prepared to support the process, notably by reinforcing monitoring of the ceasefire on the ground under the aegis of the OSCE.
To tackle Russia's misinformation campaigns, the Council will call upon the High Representative, Federica Mogherini, to draw up an action plan, by June, on the strategic communication to support media freedom. The Council is also expected to return to the process of reforms in Ukraine.
Eastern Partnership Summit
The heads of state and government will also hold an initial discussion on preparations for the Eastern Partnership Summit, which will take place in Riga on 21 and 22 May. They are expected to stress that the EU is committed to the Eastern Partnership and that it will reinforce, on a differentiated basis, its relations with each of the six countries of the Partnership (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine). As for the Vilnius summit at the end of 2013, the countries are divided into two camps: those, such as Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova, which are calling for the European prospects of the countries of the Eastern Partnership to be laid down in the conclusions of the summit, and those which oppose this. “What matters is to continue to build up relations between the EU and the six countries, without giving the illusion of accession prospects. And in any case, there is an enlargement process”, a European source summed up.
Libya
On Friday morning, the leaders will discuss the situation in Libya. They are expected to call for the rapid formation of a national unity government, and to reiterate their support for the dialogue in place. The Council may discuss how the EU can support the discussions and their results. The Council could threaten sanctions against those aiming to scupper the political process and the transition.
The issues of terrorism and migration are also to be discussed. The Foreign Affairs Ministers discussed the situation in Libya at their Council meeting on 16 March (see EUROPE 11275).
Tunisia.
The European leaders will also react to the terrorist attack on the museum of Bardo in Tunis on Wednesday, which left 19 dead: 17 tourists and two members of the Tunisian intervention forces (see other article). (Camille-Cerise Gessant with JK and EL)